Palestinians: The Right Time to Take Big Steps?

Despite the "official" surveys taken among Palestinians, which show support for Hamas, the residents of the West Bank are terrified that Hamas will gain control and destroy our lives and property, the way they did in the Gaza Strip.

The BDS organizations are trying to boycott products made in the West Bank, which only throws masses of Palestinians out of good jobs in an effort to force Israel into a hasty withdrawal that has no chance of taking place. The Israelis and everyone else remember all too well that the last Israeli withdrawals -- from southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip -- led to the terrorist takeover of the vacuums created.

Ikrima Sabri, the former Mufti of Jerusalem, often said that Palestinians were better off with the Jews in charge of Al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem, because in the future they could be removed and killed off, but if the Crusaders returned to Jerusalem -- such as an international commission headed by the French -- it would be harder to get rid of them.

During a visit to Berlin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Israel's Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu that now is not time to move forward with the "two-state solution" and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Merkel, evidently seeing Israel as a dam protecting Europe from Islamist extremists, told Netanyahu that while the Germans recognized the terrorist threat faced by Israel, and that a peace process had to be advanced based on two states for two peoples, now was not the right time to take big steps.

Agreed: It's not a good time to establish a Palestinian state. Pictured: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel address a press conference in Berlin, Germany, on February 16, 2016. (Image source: Israel Government Press Office)

The Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip are well aware that they are hostages of the terrorist organizations, in particular Hamas. Jibril Rajoub, a senior official in the Palestinian Authority (PA), told Al-Jazeera TV the same thing just last week.

The Palestinians in the West Bank, regardless of public declarations, also secretly support security collaboration with Israel, which protects us from radical Islamist terrorism. Therefore, despite the "official" surveys taken among Palestinians, which show support for Hamas, the residents of the West Bank are terrified that Hamas will gain control and destroy our lives and property the way they did in the Gaza Strip. We do want a Palestinian state, but one that will preserve the lifestyle and accomplishments we have built over the years -- not a state that will have them fall to the horrors of Hamas and ISIS.

In light of the quiet, passive public support for the regime of Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas is inciting Palestinians against it. Hamas, in an attempt to overthrow the Palestinian Authority, is portraying Abbas's security forces as traitors who transmit information to Israel.

Like Germany -- and unlike Sweden and France -- Britain has recently instituted a more balanced policy. The UK has begun to fight the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) organizations. Matthew Hancock, Britain's Minister for the Cabinet Office, who coordinates activities between various government ministries, is advancing protocols to prevent the ongoing boycotts by the British establishment.

These BDS organizations are trying to boycott products made in the West Bank, but the boycott only throws masses of Palestinians out of good jobs and great benefits in an effort to force Israel into a hasty withdrawal that has no chance of taking place. The Israelis and everyone else remember all too well that the last Israeli withdrawals -- from southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip -- were nothing more than case-studies for the terrorist takeover of the vacuums created, exactly the same way as the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq made room for the Islamic State (ISIS).

As Palestinians we know that the BDS may or may not harm Israel, but it does untold damage to the Palestinians who support their families by working in the settlement factories and would otherwise be unemployed and then, as a scarcity of jobs will have been created, hired by various terrorists. When the SodaStream factory moved out of the West Bank, 500 Palestinians lost their well-paid jobs.

In view of the current U.S. helplessness in dealing with the Russians, Iranians and Syrians, the Obama administration has now chosen to bare its fangs at Israel. Despite what are apparently his predictable personal objections, U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to sign into law the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act, which includes anti-BDS provisions. It introduces new policy language by including all "Israeli-controlled territories" as part of Israel. Meanwhile, the American customs authority is still continuing to enforce a 20-year-old law, marking products made in the West Bank and hurting Palestinians. Labeling products hurts the Palestinians, who then are driven look for work in the eager arms of the terrorist organizations radicalizing the region.

The French, as usual, slither and shift. A number of months ago, they tried to build up steam for an international commission of inquiry into the Al-Aqsa mosque. Both the Israelis and the Palestinians objected.

Ikrima Sabri, the former Mufti of Jerusalem, often said that Palestinians were better off with the Jews in charge of Al-Aqsa mosque and Jerusalem, because in the future they could be removed and killed off, but if the Crusaders returned to Jerusalem through the back door -- such as an international commission headed by the French -- it would be harder to get rid of them.

The French, fearing for their lives at the hands of their own local Islamist enclaves, are in dire straits and doggedly try one maneuver after another to appease them. In desperation, they have proposed peace negotiations for the Palestinians and Israel "with international mediation." They even brazenly suggested that if the negotiations failed, they would recognize the Palestinian state. The outcome is written on the wall: the Palestinians, who will have no reason to negotiate, will fall over themselves rushing to the conference, then automatically veto every proposal or possible compromise, and then receive the promised recognition of Palestine.

The French are masters of diplomatic flimflam: on the one hand, they will do anything to appease their own Islamists at the expense of Israel, and on the other, they know full well neither Israel nor any other Western country will accept their self-serving suggestion. The French keep revealing their duplicity again and again. They refuse to designate Iranian-backed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization; they instead call it a "political party," despite its full participation in slaughtering Sunni Muslims in Syria. Hezbollah is also one of the main actors pushing the countless asylum-seekers (and occasional ISIS operative) flooding Europe, Turkey and Jordan.

The atrocities committed today in the Middle East are the direct result of the refusal of Europe (including France) and the United States to intervene, and the stunning silence of the Arab states. Unwilling to fight ISIS, they are more than willing to condemn, slander and criticize Israel, while the Middle East slips into anarchy.

The result for us Palestinians will be bloodletting, either in the Hamas-Fatah rivalry, or as collateral damage in the Israelis' war against Islamist terrorism, or, when the Palestinian Authority falls, at the hands of ISIS and Al-Qaeda and the Al-Nusra Front as they sweep through the Jordan Valley on their way to attack Israel.

Al-Jazeera TV is also trying to serve its master, Qatar, radicalize the Palestinians by saying that the Palestinian Authority's security coordination with Israel, which benefits everyone here by keeping out Islamic terrorists, is betraying the Palestinian cause. In addition, Israeli intelligence, by saying that a seaport for Hamas should be built is, for some mysterious reason, trying to kill off the Palestinian Authority by strengthening Hamas. Both the Egyptians and we Palestinians -- and even the Israelis -- do not need Hamas strengthened at our expense. Hamas and the many other extremist organizations that have infiltrated the Gaza Strip, including ISIS, are what enable Israelis to justify their security concerns as well as those regarding peace negotiations with the Palestinians, and that prevent a withdrawal from the West Bank. Given the current situation in the Middle East, Angela Merkel was correct. It is not the right time now to take big steps.

Comment on this item

Name:

Email Address:

Comments:

Email me if someone replies to my comment

Note: Gatestone appreciates your comments. The editors reserve the right not to publish comments containing: incitement to violence, profanity, or broad-brush slurring of any race, ethnic group or religion. Gatestone also reserves the right to edit comments for length, clarity and grammar, or to conform to these guidelines. Commenters' email addresses will not be displayed publicly. Please limit comments to 300 words or less. Longer submissions are unlikely to be published.

9 Reader Comments

Ellie Wein • Mar 6, 2016 at 02:40

Judea and Samaria belong to Israel. There are 22 Arab states. One is the Arab Palestinian homeland. It's name is Jordan. Those who claim to be Arab Palestinians belong in Jordan. The land of Judea and Samaria was populated by Jews thousands of years before the Arabs came in 1068.Losing land is the risk a country takes when it wars on another country. Israel is an autonomous country and therefore not obligated to accept previous ineffective agreements. Land for peace is a failure. The Palestinian Arab refugees must return to Jordan, their designated homeland, which is three fourths of the original Territory of Palestine.

Reply->

Ellie Wein Ellie Wein • Mar 7, 2016 at 11:40

Just want to add that when Moshe Dayan invited the Jordanian inhabitants of Judea and Samaria to stay there after the war, instead of returning to Jordan (after Israel won the land from Jordan); he did not anticipate the ingratitude of his generosity. It was a misguided costly mistake that Israel has suffered from since and which now must be rectified due to the failure of land for peace.

Reply->

Stan Lee • Mar 6, 2016 at 00:27

The people of the West Bank, despite those among them who've been indoctrinated to become jihadis, also represent families of Muslims who apparently are trying for an economy that favors decent life for their families. It's actually a positive development that either has been kept very quiet, or has finally revealed itself by W.Bank Palestinian attitudes. These troubled people have been through the trials and tribulations of inept and self-serving Arab leaders such as the present one, Abbas, whose term as leader expired about ten years ago. What is keeping him in power other than threats and intimidation? While I cannot sympathize with those Palestinians seeking to attack, maim or kill Israelis, there are also those Arabs who envision a better life by not living to make war.

Such a drive to live in peace and productivity is common in that region, be people Jews, Muslims, or Christians. What possibly can be so attractive about burying relatives who've bought into jihad? Oh yes, I should have also mentioned that such dealing with non-Muslims is prescribed in the Koran.

The big question is: are these people who live by the Koran having a change of heart about killing non-Muslims who only wish to practice their faiths in peace? And, whose faiths do not prescribe killing people not of their faiths? How welcome such a revelation would be!

I doubt any detractor of Israel's efforts can fault its people for clearing swamps of barely salable land, owned by Arabs & Turks and sold to Israeli Jews in the rebirth of that nation. The Arabs have witnessed that, some became part of it, they have seen what hard work and applying the human spirit to better life for all concerned can do.

The presence of Hamas is an ideology that would prevent improvements for all lives in that region. Hopefully, the people who inhabit that region will reject destruction and killing, and all strive to make their universe a positive environment for all concerned.

Reply->

ESLombard • Mar 5, 2016 at 08:43

In the unlikely event that we could have smooth, tolerable negotiations, in conclusion it will prove inevitable that one party will insist on the name as The State of Palestine; the other will insist on the Jewish State of Palestine. The difference seems inconsequential, but living as much abused second class citizens for the last 1200 years will not be tolerated again.

A population distribution of Israel indicates that it includes an Arab population of 20.7% and at least 50% Mizrachi N. African Jewish refugees. Why is it that there is such a knee jerk reaction to "settlers" ? The Arab League has also convinced the Palestinians to sacrifice their lives and those of their heirs in the expectation that by waiting out the Jews, Palestine will fall into the League's lap but should be returned as really indigenous to Arabia.

Reply->

steven L • Mar 4, 2016 at 13:29

Why is the Western world so obsessed with the creation of ONE more fanatically genocidal Islamic state?This is politically correct SADO-MASOCHISM! At the expense of the Jews.Don't ever do to others what you can and will do to Jews.A "small people" that the Western world won't allow to defend itself!

Reply->

Vivienne Leijonhufvud • Mar 4, 2016 at 13:23

This whole debacle of Palestine was originally created by Arafat and for years like Abbas remained in power. The back and forth on peace talks and two states is becoming a tad boring. Palestinian kids go to terrorist training camps during summer holidays from as young as seven. Palestinians are obtuse and difficult. Why on earth they can't live under the democracy of Israel just surprises me. There are plenty of Islamic states they can immigrate to. There never was a Palestine other than the the Palestine under Imperial Rome, no one could be bothered to change the name back to the originals Judah, Israel, Samaria.

Reply->

jeb • Mar 4, 2016 at 10:02

The difference between the West Bank residents and Gazans is the West Bank residents recognize that Hamas is waging total war. It would appear the residents of the West Bank do not think that is such a good idea. Perhaps there is a sliver of hope the residents of the West Bank are capable of creating a state that is legitimate and not simply extent to destroy Israel.

Reply->

Jeff Page • Mar 4, 2016 at 07:36

A good article by Bassam Tawil but unfortunately there is so much anti-semitism the road ahead is extremely difficult. At least one of our British MPs is trying to oppose the silly BDS organisations who don't appear to care about their own peoples futures. I had to laugh about the fact that Angela Merkel is relying on Israel to act as a dam protecting Europe from extremists. After all it was her stupid actions in inviting virtually all the world to come to Germany that has in all probability allowed thousands of Muslim extremists to gain free unhindered access to all countries in the EU. The amazing thing about Frau Merkel is that she is still in office! What's going on in Germany, don't the German people realise the danger she's brought down on their heads?

Reply->

Albert • Mar 4, 2016 at 05:45

The invented "The West Bank" for the land grab by Transjordan when it changed it's name to simply Jordan to show that Jordan was on both sides of the river, that West Bank has ceased to exist since 1967 when Yehouda and Shomron were liberated when Jordan attacked Israel yet again. It is time to name the land by it's 3 millennia names Yehouda and Shomron.

The articles printed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute.
Both reserve the right not to publish replies to articles should they so choose.
Gatestone Institute is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, Federal Tax ID #454724565.